The Bitter Taste of Endings
by TheDimensionOfWords
Summary: Drabble. When the end is in sight, what is there to say? With only a month left in the mission, the trio faces a new reality.


Spock arranged the chess pieces back to their starting positions absently, most of his focus directed towards the door that both his captain and the ship's CMO had stepped out of some minutes before. It reminded him to years ago, when McCoy was first transferred aboard the Enterprise. The man had not been the Star Fleet's first choice in CMO for their flagship, but he was the one who ended up meshing with the crew in a way that guaranteed his service. This at the time had seemed so illogical to Spock, who was still adjusting to serving under the brash, young Kirk instead of Pike. Somehow he found himself being pulled into a tirade, made only more confusing as two humans charmed and bickered, respectively, past his shields.

It was over the course of a year they had gone from merely two fellow officers to his closest friends. But when McCoy transferred, some of the attention Kirk had placed upon Spock, to gain the Vulcan's trust and friendship, shifted to the old classmate and friend. Kirk had abandoned a few of their chess matches in favor of associating with the Doctor. Spock at the time would not admit to himself that he felt the absence of the being who seemed to becoming his first true human friend. It seemed Kirk had felt the same way, for so he set off on the mission to forge a friendship between what seemed could only be two warring parties. Spock's friendship with the emotional doctor took much longer to grow than the one with the captain, and in honesty, Spock couldn't quite pinpoint the exact moment he started to truly consider either of them friends.

But so it happened, with the years since only building on those early foundations. Tonight marked the moment when it would be exactly a month till they were recalled and set off on new courses, their five years complete. Spock had noticed the growing melancholy of his captain, of Jim, in rare moments over the past months when the man seemed to realized he was unlikely ever to have this ship and crew under his command again. That was why Spock had invited the captain here tonight, to play chess in a relatively empty mess hall and let him talk over any of his human worries.

They had made it through one game in silence, Spock winning even as he tried to go easy. Jim was far too distracted by his own thoughts, but had agreed to a second game when the doctor had entered. Leonard had asked to speak with Jim privately, something about a crewmember that whose needs were confidentiality, leaving Spock to attend to the chess set alone.

The door swished back open then, but only Leonard returned. He took Jim's seat, and fiddled with a nearby chess piece.

"How is he?" Spock questioned.

"Ensign Mai?" Leonard said. "Should be fine, asked Jim to go talk with him."

"You know I did not refer to Mai," Spock intoned, moving a piece to start a game. "You have been giving Jim extra minor duties to keep his mind off-"

"I know very well what I am doing, hobgoblin," the other man grouched back, setting down the piece he was worrying to make a move with another. Rubbing his forehead, Leonard sighed. "To answer your question I don't know how he's doing. I don't know how I'm doing, to be completely honest."

Spock didn't comment, keeping his eyes focused on the board as he made another move. He was not willing to talk about how their impending disbandment was affecting his emotion control. "He hasn't said anything to me on the matter."

Leonard nodded, pondering his pieces and their options. "Same story here and I'm unsure he will. What is he to say but what we already know? That this ship and crew has become his home and family and it is all being taken away in a months time."

Spock steepled his fingers, resting his chin against them. "Indeed." With that they also lapsed into silence, nothing and yet everything left to be said hanging in the air around the chessboard as they continued the game. Jim returned some time later, to sit in equal quiet and watched. No of them voiced the worry as to what would happen to their friendship when they were no doubt to be separated by the very stars that brought them together.


End file.
